Island



(No Model.) 2 Sheets -Sheet 1. B. ARNOLD. ENDLESS CHAIN ELEVATOR.

Patented Apr. 19, 1892.

JIQVENTEIR.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shea 2. B. ARNOLD.

ENDLESS CHAIN ELEVATOR.

No. 473,203. Patented Apr. 19, 1892."

INVENTDR| W IT N'ESE ES.

UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

BENJAMIN ARNOLD, OF EAST GREENWIOH, RHODE ISLAND.

EN DLESS-CHAIN ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 473,203, dated April19, 1892.

Application filed December 26 1891- Serial No. 416, (N model.) I

I elevators called endless-chain elevators,

using endless chains with buckets for the purpose of raising coal,grain, sand, and other commodities, and is intended in this case for usein transferring such merchandise from one vessel to another or to carsor for storage in buildings constructed for that purpose. It has beenfound necessary in elevators of this class when used for unloadingvessels to provide for the difference in the height of the vessel withregard to the elevator and its motive power caused by the rise and fallof the tide and the change in the level of the coal, grain, &;c., to beraised as the unloading of the vessel progresses.

This invention, which is an improvement on that disclosed in my UnitedStates Patent, No. 465,313, dated Decomber 15, 1891, relates to themeans for raising and lowering the elevator-frame, and also in moving itin and out from the wharf. In other respects it is in tended to beconstructed and operated as described in that patent.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the elevator located ona wharf, with engine to furnish the power to operate it and acoalbargein section in position to be discharged. Figs. 2 and 3 show the wormandgear used to raise the elevator-frame in different positions enlarged.Fig. 4 represents a front elevation of the upper part of the elevator.Fig. 5 is a separate side view of one of the racks and gears used toraise the elevator-frame. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the elevatorwith its lower end resting on the wharf, as shown in broken lines inFig. 1. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section taken through line an 00' in Fig.1.

The stationary parts of the elevator consist of two side frames A, likethe one shown in Fig. 1, connected together by means of beams,

and a platform near the top, upon which the commodity raised is to bedelivered. Three horizontal shafts e Z on are placed across from oneframe to the other at the top and held in suitable bearings on eachframe. Each of these shafts has two wheels on it. The wheels 0 O on theshaft 6 and the wheels 0 O on the shaft we support the greater part ofthe weight of the chains and buckets attached to them, and the wheels 0have also the load in the bucket to support when in operation.

B is a movable frame made in two side parts connected together bysuitable cross beams orbars to form a solid frame. It may be constructedof wood forlight grain elevating, or of flanged iron, as it isrepresented, for coal, &c. It has bearings attached to both side partsat their lower ends to receive a horizontal cross-shaft, upon which thewheels H are held, around which the chains and their buckets pass intaking up the coal or grain. The wheels J are held on another horizontalcross-shaft having bearings on the upper end of the frame B.

D is an extension of the frame B, made lighter and preferably in twoparts on each side to form channels bet-ween them for gearwheels at, onwhich its upper part rests, and connected together at the top formutualsupport, as most of the load comes on the front bars. Thegear-wheels a are made fast to the shaft 6, making that shaft the centerof motion on which the whole movable frame swings. The front bars of theframe D are provided with toothed racks o, the teeth of which engage inthe pinion-gears a, that when the shaft e, upon which the pinions arefast, is turned by the chain-wheel 5, fast on its outer end, the framewill be raised or lowered by the gears and racks, according to thedirection in which the chain-wheel r is turned.

A horizontal driving shaft V is held in bearings, one on each of themain uprights of the frame A, and has a wheel L, by which it is turned,secured on one end outside of the bearing and two chain-wheels F F madefast on it between the bearings to carry the chains and buckets whichpass around those wheels in going down empty.

The wheels 0, O, G, 1-1, and J may be simply pulleys loose on the shaftsand around which the chains 1) pass; but the drivingwheels F, F, and Lare constructed so as to either drive the chains passing over them, asin the case of the wheels F, or made to be driven by a chain y from theengine, as wheel L is, and they may be either sprocketwheels or wild-catwheels used for working chain cables.

Two endless chains 1) I), having a series of buckets (Z (Z placed acrossfrom one chain to m the other and properly secured to both, are used toconvey the coal or grain, the. The course of the chains and buckets isfrom the driving-wheels F F, which move them, up over the wheels J, thendown around the wheels II,

I 5 where the buckets fill themselves, thence up with their contentsover the wheel 0, and down under the wheel G, which depresses the chainsand causes the buckets to be tipped over,,between the wheelsO and Gsufficiently to discharge their contents into the chute E below them,thence up over the wheel O,which is for the purpose of carrying thechains and empty buckets far enough back from the chains of full bucketsin front to admit of the I chute being placed between the ascending anddescending chains and buckets and down empty to the driving-wheels F F.The coal, grain, &c., is carried from thebarge K by the buckets d, whichautomatically fill themselves in passing around the wheels II up overthe wheels (J, and as they pass down on the back of wheels 0 to go underthe wheels G they are inclined sufficiently to insure their contentsbeing discharged through the intervals be- 5 tween the buckets into thechute E, placed under the wheels 0 G 0 between the ascending anddescending portions of the chain 5, and by the chute are conveyed outone side from between the chains down into cars or other receptacleprovided to receive them.

The chain and empty buckets then pass up over the wheels 0', down underthe drivingwheels F, up over the wheels J, and down to the wheels Hagain.

The object of the movable frame 13 is to allow the lower wheel II, withthe chains and buckets, to be let down to the depth necessary to reachthe coal, grain, &c.,in the vessel,which, as before stated, may byreason of the tide,&c., be more or less below the level of theelevatorbase.

The mechanism for raising and lowering the frame 13 consists of theracks U and gears a, before referred to, the first being attached 5 tothe front bars of the frame D and the latter to the shaft 6, which has achain-wheel 8 fast on its outer end, that is connected by a chain m witha chain-wheel 7', fast on the side of the worm-gear 0, held loosely onthe shaft t. A short shaft 20 is held in a bearing 7", at-

tached to the frame A at right angles to the shaft t and at such adistance therefrom that the worm g on the end of the shaft u; willengage properly with the teeth of the wheel 0 and operate it whenturned. The bearing 9" of the shaft 10 is secured to the frame A by abolt 6 at its lower end, on which it swings,

and a bolt 17. in a slot at its upper end, which allows the bearing toswing over and carry the worm 9 out of engagement with the wheel 0, asshown in Fig. 3.

In operation when the crank h on the end of the shaft to is turned inone direction the top of the wheel 0 will move over to the right, andthe gear a will be carried over in the same direction by the chain on,wheel 8, and chain-wheel vand will raise the frames D and B by the racksv; but if the crank h is turn ed in the opposite direction the motionsof the parts will be reversed and the frames lowered until the lower endrests 011 the material to be raised, when if the motion of the crank iscontinued the worm Q will run itself out of engagement with wheel 0 bytipping the hearing 0* over, as shown in Fig. 3. The movable frame Bwill then be free to rise and fall with the vessel, as affected by thetide, or to follow down as fast as the load is removed by the buckets.

For the purpose of moving the frame B toward or from the wharf toaccommodate it to the position of the vessel or its cargo an arm n ispivoted to the shaft t and connected to the frame B by a stud 19, madefast in that frame and passing through a slot in the arm, in which it isfree to slide. A chain-wheel 0 is made fast on the shaft tand providedwith a chain that engages with it and which passes out around a pulleyz', pivoted to the outer end of the arm a. The chain j is fastened tothe stud 19, that when the wheel 0 is turned by the crank 8, attachedto, the shaft 6, the chain will draw the frame 13 in and out by the stud19, according to which way the crank is turned. In large heavy elevatorsanother chain-wheel 0 is made fast to the other end of the shaft 25, andduplicates of arm a, stud 19, chain j, and pulley 2' are arranged tooperate in like manner on the other side of the frame B, that both sidesmay move together.

Having thus described the construction and operation of my improvements,[claim as my invention-- l. In an endless-chain elevator, astationaryframe, a movable frame, guide-bars on the movable frame, provided withracks at their upper ends, a cross-shaft held in bearings attached tothe stationary frame and adapted to support the movable frame and serveas a center for it to swing on, gear-wheels fast on the cross-shaft andengaging in said racks and adapted to raise the movable frame, and meansfor turning said cross-shaft, all combined substantially as specified.

2. In an endless-chain elevator having a movable frame for the purposeof adjustment, a swingingarm held at one end on a shaft attached to thestationary frame of the elevator and connected with the movable frame bymeans of a stud fast in said movable frame and sliding in a slot in thearm, in combination with a chain-wheel held on said shaft and a chainengaging with said chain-wheel and passing out over a pulley pivotednear the outer end of said arm and fastened to swinging bearings forsaidW0rm,aw0rm-gear said stud, substantially as set forth. and its shaft,and flexible connections between 3. In an endless-chain elevator havinga the shafts mentioned. movable frame for the purpose of adjustment 5and a shaft at the upper end of said frame, Witnesses:

means for raising and lowering said frame, E. B. READ, comprising a wormon the stationary frame, J. E. ARNOLD.

BENJ. ARNOLD.

